Four teenagers in Tamil Nadu have been sent to a juvenile observation home after a truly disturbing incident where they allegedly hacked a migrant worker with a sickle, apparently just to record a social media "reel." The group, all 17-year-olds from the Nemili area, reportedly targeted 34-year-old Suraj on a suburban train running between Chennai and Tiruttani on the evening of December 26.
According to the police, the encounter was as bizarre as it was violent. The boys, who were reportedly intoxicated, approached Suraj in a general compartment and asked if they could hold a sickle to his neck to film a video. When he refused and an argument broke out, three of the boys began attacking his head and limbs while the fourth kept the camera rolling. The assault didn't stop there; they allegedly dragged him to an abandoned railway building near a station to continue the violence. Suraj who was eventually found unconscious by bystanders and is now in stable condition at the Tiruvallur Government Medical College Hospital.
Investigators used the viral clips alongside station CCTV footage to identify the group. All four have since been apprehended and moved to a facility in Chengalpattu while the legal process moves forward.
The incident has quickly become a political lightning rod. Opposition leaders have seized on the brutality of the attack to criticise the state's current climate. AIADMK’s Edappadi K Palaniswami called the event a sign of a total breakdown in law and order, specifically pointing to rampant drug abuse among youth. Meanwhile, the BJP’s K Annamalai argued that a combination of easy access to weapons and political rhetoric against migrants has created a dangerous environment, accusing the government of allowing the state to slip into a "jungle raj."
Also read: President returns Tamil Nadu varsity amendment bill
Follow us
